Ghost of a Rose
by Unicorn Chronicles
Summary: An old paladin travels all the way to the Ruins of Gilneas to meet with someone very special to his heart.


This is a remake of a story my friend made. I'm unsure why he deleted it, because I rather enjoyed it. That's his business however. I think he'll appreciate me re-writing it, and if not then oh well because it's happening. I mean the story idea was kind of mine anyway so.

**ATTENTION: PLEASE READ "THE CROWN OF ROSES" BEFORE CONTINUING.**

_**Italic **_**words are what happens in the past.**

This is more of a sequel to that story; which I wrote. This is technically her father's side of the story. It'll make more sense, though for the people who ignore the author's note, I tried to explain shit so you wouldn't be confused. I apologize for any mistakes. It's almost 4 AM and I'm tired. Thank you for reading, have a nice day. :)

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"Karen..."

The old paladin knelt down in the pine colored grass. A plate covered hand faintly touched the mound of dirt in front of him. Strands of gray hair hung in his face, loose from his ponytail. A shaky breath left his presence as he stared at the tombstone. He traced the delicate engraving on the sleek marble and sighed with defeat as a tear slid down his cheek.

"Light knows I miss you..."

He hated himself with something fierce. He wasn't there for her in her final hour, and though he knew she was not gone because of him, her being had still left without him. The cause of death was tragic. The mother of his daughter and the mother of another mere child, who was in a grave next to her own, had ended because of child labor. She left her two daughters, a husband, and her true love behind to grieve at her loss.

"I'm sorry I never took you with me, my dearest Karen..."

_It was at the age of eighteen that Karen had moved to Loredaeron. It was there in the former human kingdom that the Gilnean woman met the paladin. However, he was no paladin. He was a priest. The boy was to be one of the first holy warriors. They fell in love quickly, spending every hour of every minute together. Unfortunately Karen and her family were to return to Gilneas, due to her people building the Greymane Wall. They still wrote eachother, but the Second War tore them apart once again. Karen thought he had died because she hadn't received any more letters, and her parents forced her to marry during her grief. _

_He found out about her marriage as soon as the war was over, given the letter he received after he wrote her. He was devastated at the news, as anyone would be. Karen didn't love Charles. He knew that there was no way she could ever forget her love for the paladin. So with that, he sought her out immediately. They knew what they were doing was scandalous, but they didn't care. This was what true love was. He hadn't regret it, and neither had she. Three months after he had left, he had gotten another letter from her. She was expecting to deliver a child near the end of the coming April._

"I'm taking good care of Emree... but I believe it is her and Shaylith that are taking care of I."

A paladin at heart, but a death knight involuntary, Emree was his only daughter. Their only daughter. Fair skin, a sweet Gilnean accent, and auburn hair that framed her face beautifully just like her mother. Her eyes, however, were cerulean like his own. They held the Light within them, a sparkle that refused to go unnoticed. Something that was forbidden. Gilneans could not be paladins, it was unheard of. Warriors of the Light channeled a form of Divine Magic not all priests possessed. A Divine Magic they were not blessed with. However, Emree was merely half Gilnean. This allowed her to twist the Light between her fingertips.

A wrinkled smile formed on the man's face. He began to recall the first time she officially met him. It had been her tenth birthday... she was twenty-one now. He had traveled all the way from Stormwind, since Lordaeron was no more he could no longer live in his homeland. The trip was long and difficult but became worth it as soon as he rode past a little girl with an ivory rose crown on her head.

_She had been skipping down the walkway, a mastiff puppy at her heels, and a daisy in her hand from an old woman planting flowers who was generous enough to offer her one. As soon as her curious eyes locked onto the golden and crimson plated gear he wore she stopped. She was struck with awe and wonder. Never had she seen anything so illuminating. The little girl had no idea who this man was, but she vowed to be exactly like him. _

"She made me so proud, following me in my footsteps..." He smiled at the marble, his hand lightly resting against the smooth top. "I'm fortunate enough that you let her go out on her own that day; though you knew I would be watching her on her journey to the market." He closed his eyes and sighed once more. "The only thing I regret that day is leaving there without you two."

_The paladin watched from afar as little Emree counted each silver coin she slid across the wooden counter to the man who sold fish. Her mother had purposely given her the wrong amount just so he could step in and give her the thirteen silver she needed, giving him a reason to approach the girl. She was shocked as the man from earlier was now standing in front of her, and without a helmet. Blonde hair with hints of gray, heavy stubble, and eyes that reminded her of her own. He offered her a ride home on his warsteed, Aurora. The paladin told her everything about his class and the Silver Hand, how it was created, by who, and why on the way to her home. She was captivated by everything he said, which only confirmed her thoughts from earlier. She was not giving up on this dream. She would become a paladin._

_Their journey to their destination ended as soon as it began, and he found himself sad as he helped her off Aurora. Her mother removed herself from inside the house and grabbed Emree's hand. She gave him the most miserable of smiles because she knew it would be a while before he could see his daughter again, before she could see him again herself. However, this time would be the last. He pulled on the reins and his horse turned towards the exit of the city._

"_Wait, Mister!"_

_His eyes widened and he turned his body around just enough to look at her. She ran up to him and gave him the daisy from earlier. He smiled at her and plucked it from her tiny hand. His equally cerulean eyes began to tear up. He nodded to the both of them, giving Karen a longing stare before turning from their view. When he knew he was out of sight, he let his tears fall._

"I kept the daisy, you know? I compressed it... and it serves as my most treasured item." He pulled out a book that radiated holy energy. At the top of the pages you could see faded yellow petals. He opened the book, and there it was. The same little old daisy from eleven years ago. "She went to Light's Hope, though I'm sure you know that." He chuckled quietly. "By that time, she knew Charles was not her real father because of the letter you wrote her before you departed. In fact, it was the daisy that caught her attention when she walked past me."

"_You... kept it?"_

_It startled the old man, naturally. He was so deep in thought with the book he was reading that he wasn't aware someone was standing there until they said something. He cast his eyes up after making a snide comment about being taught not to scare people, but his jaw suddenly hit the floor as he realized who was standing in front of him._

_The girl was in tears as soon as the man allowed her to sit with him. She wanted to be angry with him, wanted to hate him. To blame him. Deep down inside though, she knew it wasn't his fault, so she couldn't. This man was still her father, and she loved him regardless of the mistakes he felt like he made. He was all she had left in this world of cruel, overbearing hatred._

"That night we sat there in the chapel, the two of us weeping." The old man kept his gaze on the name carved in marble. "I wanted to be there for her, make up for the years that I wasn't." The paladin knew he missed out on watching her grow up and it filled him with complete desolation at the thought of not being a true father for her. "She looked at me with such a miserable face and tears in her eyes... she asked me to teach her. To train her as a holy protector... so I did." In that moment, seventeen years had flown by without him seeing her, but he made sure he was there for his child in the four years after.

He was truly proud of his daughter. "She trained with so much passion, her skills were impeccable. Emree really is gifted, Karen. _We _made that." His tone was heartwarming, and then he chuckled. "And trust me, I was a horrible teacher." His face merged into a subtle smile after. "She was even promoted to Commander shortly after she made it into the Argent Crusade. Even that mastiff of hers, Charity, became a rescue dog. " He sighed and wiped away a smudge of dirt on the tomb. "But then Arthas killed Terenas and she was sent to Northrend to lead an average sized team."

He rubbed at his gray goatee and frowned deeply. "As it turned out, Alionos wasn't even dead, but he was afflicted with the worgen curse. He showed up at Light's Hope two weeks later with a night elf searching for Emree." He looked over at a bundle of red and ivory rose bushes and let yet another sigh slip past his chapped lips. "He was a mix of emotions when I told him she was in Northrend, but I agreed to travel with the two of them to find Emree."

Unfortunately their trip to the icy northern continent was vain. "When we finally reached her location, we all learned she had went on patrol with her troops. She was kind enough to send them back early and take over on her own, but she was supposed to be back by then." He gripped at the grass growing around the mound of dirt. "Alion went to find her alone. Neither of them returned." He grit his teeth, trying his best not to tear up. "The Lich King had... executed them... and everyone knows what happens after." He cast a sorrowful gaze to the sky.

"I was a wreck. I had no one left. I was alone, Karen." He squeezed his eyes closed, water barely sneaking out of his tear duct and down his cheek. "The night elf, Shaylith, and I returned to Light's Hope shortly after. On the journey back I learned a lot about her. She was definitely stubborn, impolite, and hotheaded. Woman has a nasty temper." He knit his brows together and wiped away his tear with a displeasing frown. "She has such a horrible past... I was the only person she opened up and told the truth to. She became a second daughter to me." His heart seemed to warm a little. "And she was there to comfort me in my time of need."

He got up from his spot and walked over to the Gilnean rose bush, picking two red roses. He smelled them and smiled slightly. He looked back into the secret enclosure and took in how peaceful it was. Surrounded by nothing but white and red rose bushes, and occupied by two graves. "I was to go live with Shaylith in Darnassus. We were departing that day, actually." The smile remained on his face as he began his trek back to Karen's grave. "I was walking out of the chapel doors... and Charity almost knocked me off my feet barking and rushing outside. I looked to see what all the commotion was and... then I saw her. I thought I was seeing things at first."

"_Yeah, it's really me Pa."_

_The paladin raced over to her and she was in his arms in moments. He spun her around, setting her down and pulling away only slightly. His smile beamed as he saw the sparkle in her abyss of blue eyes. "Light... I thought you were dead."He pulled her into another hug. He was afraid she would disintegrate if he let her go. This was still his little girl. She would never be the monster she was reincarnated to be._

"_Well technically I am dead."_

He looked over at the smaller mound of dirt. "I would have loved Gwen like my own, Karen." He patted the dirt softly, a sad smile on his face. "She did not deserve to die so young... neither of you did. Light knows I miss you both... I wish you could be here with Emree, Shaylith, and I. As a family." He closed his eyes as he felt a warm presence envelope him. "But both of you are here with us... in spirit and in heart."

He placed a single red rose on each grave. "I love you very much... you were my everything." His smile quivered and he turned to leave. He sauntered past a tall tree, only glancing at it briefly. There in the middle of the tree carved in the bark were two names. The man finally allowed himself to actually bawl, clear crystals sliding down his cheeks. He mounted his Charger and only looked back once, a mix of remorse and happiness twisted on his face.

_ Thollo_

_And_

_Karen_

_4EverNAlways_

Fin.~


End file.
